


Darkness Reflected

by HotaruGFC (JaclynGFC)



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-05 16:36:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16371215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaclynGFC/pseuds/HotaruGFC
Summary: A dark little SakuraXLi story assuming the second movie didn't end with her confession.





	Darkness Reflected

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this YEARS ago. Long before the new Clear-Card series, and it was even started, I believe before the second movie came out. So, this is very much outside of canon in terms of events. 
> 
> Regardless, I hope you enjoy it.

It had been nearly five years since he had last seen her, and she was all he could think about. He had hinted to his mother that he wished to return to Japan for high school, but she had always denied him. Yet she makes me train every day. He complained to himself. He laid there on his bed thinking about the last time he had seen her. Meilin and Tomoyo are so sneaky. He sighed as he remembered the slight blush on her cheeks and the many times they had both tried so hard to say what was in their hearts. I wonder if she's forgotten about me. He rolled over and decided that he would ask Mother again tomorrow.

"Mother." His voice was timid, as it always was when he spoke to her.

"Yes, Syaoran?" She regarded him with unusually soft eyes. That's how she looked at Sakura…

"Mother, since my engagement with Meilin has been dissolved for some time now…"

"You are wondering if I am going to arrange another for you." It was a statement as if she knew what was in his heart. Li just nodded.

"That depends, Syaoran… on if I can find a suitable wife for you." She returned to her writing.

"But Mother. I…"

She cut him off.

"You will not return to her, Syaoran. She doesn't need you anymore." She didn't look at him. "If you return, you may do more harm than good for her."

"She may not need me, Mother." His voice was soft, quiet, with a touch of desperation. "But I need her."

The next week he was on a plane back to Japan. His housing arrangements had been made and he had been placed in Sakura's school.

Everything is perfect.

His first day back at school with his old friends was like a homecoming. He took his usual seat behind Sakura as he had always had. Sitting there, staring at the back of her head, he felt overcome with his need to tell her. He had been longing to tell her since he left, but when faced with her, he could say nothing. Looking in her eyes, he could see that she wanted to say something too.

***

Li woke with a start. Breathing heavily, as if he had been running, he shivered as beads of sweat rolled down his neck.

"Sakura" he panted, as he threw his covers back. Silently, he got dressed and left his apartment through the window. Don't wanna wake Wei. Scurrying along the dark streets, his mind raced as the memory of the dream flooded his mind.

The Darkness had risen again, challenging Sakura for Mastery of the Clow. And she was losing. He stood there wide-eyed, watching her light fade, fighting to get to her, to protect her… to save her.

"Something bad is going to happen." He stood under her window, looking up at the dark square. Sighing, he reached for the tree beneath it. Tapping softly on the window, he looked in, hoping to wake Kero. Surprisingly, the window opened at his touch. Crawling through the window, he fell heavily onto the floor, waking the small yellow form of the Beast of the Seal, Keroberos. Li, sitting on the floor, holding his knee and biting his lip, trying to not cry out in pain.

"Who's there?" Kero asked.

"Ow," Li whispered. "Kero? It's me."

"Li, what are you doing here?" The small creature fluttered down to hover in front of the teenager.

"Is Sakura ok?" Li asked quietly, taking off his shoes.

"She's fine."

"Li crawled over to the bed, looking at the sleeping form of the young Master of the Clow. Sighing, he brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"You never answered my question, Li." Kero fluttered over to him, hovering over the sleeping Sakura, looking at Li sternly.

"Kero, have you felt anything… odd recently?"

"Odd as in how, Li?"

"I've been having … dreams. Dark dreams… about Sakura and the Clow. I feel like… something's going to happen, Kero… something bad." His eyes never left the sleeping form of the seventeen-year-old girl.

"Um… would you care to elaborate?"

"I wish I could Kero… I wish I could. But I do know this… I will not leave her side." He looked Kero in the eye. His eyes were hard and demanding. "I'm staying here tonight." He sat next to the sleeping girl as she rolled onto her side.

"Uh… Li, you can't stay here." Kero whispered. "What if she wakes up? Or… or her dad walks in?" He was fluttering around madly as the teenaged boy lay down next to his Master, sliding his arm around her waist protectively.

"I will always protect you, Sakura," Li whispered against her neck.

"Li!" Kero pulled on his shirtsleeve, trying to get the attention of the young man.

"I'll leave before she gets up… ok?" Li's eyes slid shut and his arm tightened around her.

Kero flew to his bed in the drawer and settled down in a huff. Muttering to himself, he reset Sakura's alarm clock to go off fifteen minutes earlier.

A loud buzzing drew Kero from his slumber. Looking at the clock, he sleepily wondered about the time. Why's it going off so early today? Lazily he flew over to Sakura's bed to wake her. He stared down at the two sleeping forms in her bed with shock before the night's events came flooding back to him. Sitting on Li's shoulder, he tried to wake the young man.

"Li… wake up." Grabbing the young mans sleeve, he tried to lift the dead weight of the human's arm. "Come on, Li!"

Blinking his eyes, Li Syaoran nuzzled the soft hair of the sleeping girl.

"Hmm…" his arm tightened around her waist. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, Li!" Kero whispered harshly in his ear. "If you don't get going now, she's going to wake up and find you here." The small creature pulled harder on the boy's arm. "Come on!"

Reluctantly sitting up, Li looked back at the now stirring Sakura. Lightly, he brushed back a loose lock of her hair. Watching her, he whispered.

"Good morning." Still reluctant to leave her side, Li slowly slipped from her bed and crept to her window, retrieving his shoes on the way.

"Kero…" Sakura said sleepily as she turned over. "I had the most wonderful dream." She blinked slowly as she turned away from the window, smiling at the earthly form of the Beast of the Seal. Trying to distract her from the retreating young man, Kero fluttered down next to her.

"What was it about?"

"Hmmm…. Syaoran was here." She yawned and cuddled back under her covers. "And he held me close… protected me from the monsters…" Her eyes drifted shut. Kero looked at her then glanced to the window, catching Li's eyes briefly as the teenaged boy scurried out the window and down the tree.

"I think I'm going to go back to sleep, Kero." Sakura snuggled into her bed, smiling. "I wanna dream that again…" As her eyes closed, she drifted off to sleep.

***

"Li!" Tomoyo ran up to her boyfriend and immediately linked arms with him. "Good morning." She beamed up at him, and then laid her head against his arm. Her long dark hair swirled around her back as they walked together. Li yawned.

"Ah… good morning, Tomoyo." He ran his hand through his shaggy brown hair and rubbed his eyes a bit.

"Didn't you sleep well?" She looked up at him, blinking her large eyes.

"No." Li shook his head. "I've been … having bad dreams."

A cheery Sakura bladed past them, turning on her skates to face them as she flew by.

"Good Morning!" She waved at them as she skated into the schoolyard. The skirt of her uniform swished around her legs with each movement.

"Well, somebody's in a good mood." Tomoyo giggled. Li smiled as he watched the young Clow Master's mirthful attitude, and he caught her eye as she skated past him while circling the couple. His cheeks were tinged a light pink as he blushed slightly.

"Good morning, Sakura."

Sakura skated beside him, looking him over.

"You look like hell, Syaoran." She giggled, her eyes crinkling as she smiled up at him. Tomoyo looked over at her, and her arm tightened on Li's, pulling him a little closer to her.

"Li's been having bad dreams, Sakura. That's all."

"So… you're not sleeping, huh? What have you been dreaming about?" Sakura seemed genuinely interested, despite her teasing voice. Li looked at his watch just as the chimes started calling the students to class.

"Ah… let's talk about this at lunch, huh?"

After a few hours, the class had been released for lunch. Li hurriedly escaped his friends to a secluded area of the schoolyard. Leaning against a wall of a building, he sighed heavily. Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself staring into the small black eyes of Kero.  
"What?" Li's brown eyes narrowed at him.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Kero said cheerfully despite his hard look. Yawning, Li smiled slightly.

"Yeah… actually, I did. But… Kero, we need to talk…" As he was about to relay the contents of his recent recurring dreams, Tomoyo and Sakura came around the corner looking for Li.

"Later, Kero." Li turned to the teenage girls, smiling broadly at them in an attempt to mask his exhaustion and worry. "Hi!" Tomoyo, seeing her boyfriend, ran up to him, and threw her arms around his neck.

"So… Li, it's lunchtime…" She looked up at him a bit suggestively with her big blue eyes. Sakura, leaning next to him against the wall, crossed her arms as she looked away slightly disgusted.

"Hey, Kero… what are you doing here? So, Syaoran, these dreams…" She tried to steer the conversation towards important things. Kero, as always, had other ideas.

"I just came to see what everyone was doing… so, Sakura… you got anything good in there?" Kero dug in her knapsack looking for her lunch.

"Kero!" Sakura snatched the small creature out of her bag. "Hang on a second and I'll give you something." She set her bag on the ground and sat on the grass next to it, digging in her lunch for a suitable treat for Kero.

"So, Sakura. What'd you have for lunch?" Li asked as he sat next to her, pulling Tomoyo next to him.

"Forgot your lunch again, Li?" Kero sassed. Li scowled.

"I'll share my lunch with you, Li…" Tomoyo laid her head on his shoulder as she untied her lunch sack.

"Syaoran, don't change the subject." Sakura scolded. Li sighed as he watched Kero munching on a dumpling. He glanced at Sakura.

"It's nothing really…"

"Well, I've been having some interesting dreams lately." The young master of the Clow supplied, trying to primer the young man.

"Really Sakura? What about?" Tomoyo asked, thoroughly interested.

"Well, it's still hard to make out. Everything is still dark most of the time. But I do see flashes. Big mean monsters. Darkness. It scares me sometimes."

"Did you have that dream last night?" Tomoyo asked, her eyes inquisitive.

"Yeah… and last night I felt trapped like something was holding me and I didn't know what to do… I couldn't do anything."

"Scary," Tomoyo said, sipping on her tea.

"It was," Sakura answered, chewing on a stick of celery. Li and Kero watched the conversation as if it were a tennis match.

"So… what happened, Sakura?" Li asked timidly.

"Well, then it just… stopped. It was like I was wrapped in this warmth; like a shield was put up against this Darkness." She sighed at the memory of the dream. "And it's been with me all day." A small smile played on her lips as she glanced over to Li. Li blushed slightly, and his eyes fell from hers to the ground before him as he chewed absently on a carrot stick. Kero glared at him, his eyes narrow.

"Wow," Tomoyo said wide-eyed. "So, Sakura, do you know what it was? You know… that warmth? Where did it come from?"

The bells called students back to class before Sakura could answer. Li jumped up at the sound.

"Oh well, back to class. Come on, Tomoyo… Sakura." He headed around the corner of the building.

"Um…" Tomoyo leaned over to Sakura whispering. "Tell me later, huh?"

"Mm-hmm." Sakura nodded as she and Tomoyo hurried back to class.

At the end of the day, Li quickly took Tomoyo's hand and pulled her aside.  
"Sweetheart… what are you doing tonight?" He looked lovingly into her crystalline eyes. Tomoyo smiled up at him.

"Li… we've got that group project to do for next Friday, remember?"

Sakura slid in behind Tomoyo, shaking her head at the couple. A small smile danced on her face.

"So, you want to come over this evening? Dad left for Osaka today, so we would have no distractions." Tomoyo lit up.

"That sounds great, Sakura! But I have to be home for dinner tonight. I should be done about seven or so. I'll come over after, ok?"

"That's fine. Syaoran? You want to come over earlier or are you going to catch a ride with Tomoyo?"

"Um…" Li blushed slightly as he weighed his options.

"I'll make dinner…" Sakura coaxed, smiling.

"Um. Ok… I guess we could do some brainstorming before you get there." He gently stroked Tomoyo's cheek. "Does that sound good, Sweetie?"

Sakura's smile faded slightly as Li addressed her best friend in such a familiar way. Get it together girl! They're dating for crying out loud! She quickly replaced the smile as he looked at her. Her brain chided her for her jealousy.

"Ok, so I'll see you after practice, then."

Li nodded.

Li stood at the door, staring at the doorbell, oddly nervous about pressing the button.

"Oh, Syaoran… just do it." he chided himself as he rang the bell. A cheerful, apron-clad Sakura opened the door.

"Hello, Syaoran, please, come in." She opened the door wide, bowing as he slipped through the opening.

"So…" Li said, finding his tongue as he removed his shoes. "What's for dinner?"

"I'm making curry. I hope you like it spicy…" She led him into the kitchen. "Please put your stuff down. We can work at the table after we eat."

"That's fine." He sat down; his bag landed heavily on the wooden surface.

Keroberos, drawn from Sakura's room by the scent of sweet things baking in the oven, floated into the room. He stopped short as he saw the closely cropped brown hair of the would-be Master of the Clow. Floating up in front of Li, he looked down harshly at him.

"So, Li." He whispered. "Are you planning on staying again tonight?"

Li, sitting on sharply at the accusation, banged his elbow on the table. "OW!"

Sakura, hearing the commotion, turned from her cooking to the table. "Are you ok?"

Li, looking into her deep green eyes, rubbed his elbow. "Yeah…"

"Kero, are you going around scaring Syaoran?" She playfully scolded the earthly form of the Beast of the Seal. Little did she know how close she was to the truth.

"No; we were just… talking." Kero quipped.

"Yeah." Li agreed. "Um, Kero, can we talk… privately?" He got up from the table and turned toward the living room.

"Sure. Um… Sakura, your curry's starting to burn…" Kero followed Li into the other room as Sakura rushed back to her cooking. When they were both out of earshot, Li turned on Kero.

"What the hell were you trying to do, Kero?" He whispered harshly. "If Sakura found out…"

"If Sakura found out what, Li?" Kero challenged him. "What do you think she'd do? I know what I'd do; I'd slap you silly…"

"Kero." Li sighed, frustrated. "I don't know, OK? I… Look, I need to talk to you about these dreams."

"Of course, she probably wouldn't be really mad… not after what she said…" Kero continued to mutter to himself.

"Kero! This is serious!" Li stared at him, his hands fisted, his eyes flashing. Kero looked up at the young man.

"Whoa… Ok Li, what is it?"

"Something's coming, Kero. It's coming for Sakura. I can feel it."

"Well, I don't feel anything…" Kero crossed his arms as the young man relaxed a bit.

"Sakura feels it… her dreams are just like mine." Li shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, almost just like it."

"Ok, if… and I do mean IF this thing is coming, what is it? What does it want?"

"I don't know that yet, but I plan to be by her side the entire time, Kero. I'm going to stay with her as long as I can."

Kero looked at him for a long moment, scrutinizing the teenager.

"Oh. I get what this is… Li, you're in love with her."

"What?" Li was wide-eyed as he heard the accusation. "Kero, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, but I think I do, Li. And you can't, I won't let you. Just stick with Tomoyo and everything will be fine. She's better for you anyway…"

"Kero!" Li started out defensively. "I am not…"

Sakura poked her head into the room, effectively silencing their conversation.

"Dinner's ready." Stepping into the room, she looked from Li to Kero "What are you two talking about, hmm?" She clasped her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels, smiling at them. Her gaze lingered on Li.

"Uh… nothing. Kero just said something stupid, that's all." Li answered, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. He can't be right… can he? I'm not in love with Sakura… am I?

"Well, you two better hurry along if you don't want dinner to get cold." For a brief moment, her green eyes met Li's brown ones. It seemed to him that she was staring through his soul before her gaze left him as she turned around. Kero followed her, only to be stopped by the confused young man. Li whispered to him.

"I am not in love with Sakura."

Kero looked at him for a moment, seriously regarding the young man that had grown out of the boy who first rivaled Sakura for the mastery of the Clow. "We shall see." He replied before flying past him into the kitchen.

Sighing, Li followed, thinking to himself. I'm not.

Throughout dinner, Li repeatedly thought back to what Kero had said and recalled a conversation he had had with his mother before returning to Japan. Now that he thought about it, she had said the same thing, though not so bluntly. He also remembered a hint of warning in her voice. As Sakura set a piece of cake and some tea before him, startling him from his thoughts, he was surprised to feel his heart pounding. She has grown quite pretty, beautiful even… and strong too. I love the way she's letting her hair grow out… He closed his eyes. Letting her mere presence overcome him. He opened all barriers to her.

"Syaoran?" She looked at him with concern, her eyes questioning. His eyes snapped open, only to find her staring at him with worry.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"I asked if you were ready to start working. Are you ok, Syaoran?"

"Uh, yeah… I just… I was just lost in thought, that's all." He could feel the warmth of a mild blush spreading across his cheeks. He hoped she wouldn't notice.

"Good. Tomoyo should be here soon and it'd be nice to actually have some work done, or at least started by the time she gets here. Let's go to the living room, ok?"

"Sure." Li followed her obediently to the living room where they promptly spread out their notes and began brainstorming about their topic for their music history project as they ate their dessert.

"Oh. I wish Tomoyo were here. She's so much better at this than I am." Sakura whined.

A short while later, the doorbell rang. Tomoyo quickly sat next to Li upon entering and spread her books on the floor.  
"So, have you narrowed down the topics?" She looked from Li to Sakura expectantly.

"Um… well we were debating over periods. Li is thinking Baroque, but I would rather cover the post-modern period." Sakura explained.

"Well, what composer is each of you considering?" Tomoyo asked.

"Sakura wants to study Phillip Glass, but I want to do a classical composer, like Handel or someone that it would be a lot easier to find information on." Li explained.

"But think of how much we could impress Ms. Fugisawa by picking someone that most of us hadn't even heard of!"

"Look Sakura, we've been going on like this since we started!"

Tomoyo giggled. Kero fluttered into the room and hovered over her shoulder watching with her as the pair bantered back and forth about what they should do.

"He's not kidding, they have been going on about this since dinner." Kero sighed

"Good evening, Kero." Tomoyo smiled at the small creature. "Ok, Li, Sakura, calm down. I think they are both good ideas but let's be fair about this, ok?" Taking a coin from her purse, she flipped it between her fingers. "First we'll flip for who will be heads. OK. Call it in the air." She flipped the coin, which then clattered to the floor.

As the coin flipped in the air, both Li and Sakura called out "heads" at the same time.

Tomoyo whined. "You can't both call heads." She sighed as she put the coin back in her purse. "Well, I would rather we get this done quickly and done well than spend all our time looking for any shred of information about Phillip Glass… so we're going to do Handel." Sakura groaned slightly.

"Way to be fair, Tomoyo…" She whined.

"Finally, now maybe you can all get something done for a change, and I can get back to my game…" Kero floated out of the room and back upstairs.

After several hours of designing their project and gathering their information from books Tomoyo brought with her and that they found in Sakura's father's library, Tomoyo called for a car to pick her up. Sakura, yawning, led her friend to the door.  
"Don't worry, I'll be able to type this up tonight… once Syaoran finishes writing his part."

"Great. I should be able to finish the storyboard by tomorrow." Tomoyo smiled at her as the dark vehicle pulled up to the sidewalk. Tomoyo waved as she ran to the car.

"Bye!" Sakura waved back as Li came up behind her to watch the care pull away.

"I'm finished…" Li whispered as she stood behind her, resisting the urge to touch her. His eyes closed, he again dropped his shields to let her power touch his soul. Sakura, startled by his sudden presence and extreme closeness, jumped. Syaoran… what are you doing? She thought as she felt his mind reach out for her for the second time that night.

"I-uh… I guess I should start typing then, huh?" She turned around, nearly running into him, and then looked into his eyes. They stood there, looking at each other, his usually hard suspicious eyes turned soft and dreamy as he looked at her; her green eyes caught in his stare. She gasped slightly as he leaned a little closer to her, blocking her way back into the house.

"Sakura… I…" He leaned even closer, almost touching her. The feel of her strong magic, now so much stronger than his, intoxicated him, drawing him in. A noise inside the house startled the both of them, bringing him back to the real world. His shields slammed closed again. "Yeah… I guess you should." He stepped back, opening the door to her. Sakura quickly crossed through and began setting up her laptop.

"You don't have to stay, Syaoran, not if you have something else to do…" she didn't even look up at him as her voice trailed off.

Handing her some of the pages he and Tomoyo had written, he sat next to her.

"I don't have anything else to do tonight…" He watched as her fingers flew on the keys. Except keep an eye on you.

After an hour of watching, Li leaned back, stretching his legs out underneath the table.

"Man, Sakura… next paper we have, can I get you to type it for me?" He asked, only half-jokingly.

Sakura laughed softly.

"Sure" She replied as she kept typing. Li, sitting back up, looked over at her, trying to get her to look at him again.

"Um… you want me to get anything for you? Something to drink or something?"

Sakura stopped typing and turned to him, smiling.

"Thanks, Syaoran. I could use some water or juice or something."

Her smile was infectious. Li returned it as he leaned on the table.

"So, which do you want? Water or juice?" looking into her eyes, his heart started to pound in his chest.

Since the night before, all he could think of was holding her close and her warmth calming his worry. As long as I'm with her, I'll know if anything bad happens to her… and I'll be able to protect her. Sakura sat staring into space for a moment, her pink tongue poking between her lips as she thought.

"Um… juice." She finally answered, smiling.

"Ok. Be right back." Li got up and went to the kitchen as Sakura resumed her typing.

What is wrong with you, Li Syaoran? You've got a girlfriend. A wonderful girlfriend. You can't be falling for Sakura. You can't. He scolded himself as he poured a couple of glasses of juice. He stopped suddenly.

Why not? She was all you could think about back in Hong Kong… Another part of his mind asked. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm him. Picking up the two glasses, he walked back into the living room. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her sitting on the floor, her long slender neck exposed by the ponytail her shoulder-length hair was pulled into. He stood there a moment, watching her type before regaining control of his senses and continuing on.

"Here you go." He set the glass beside the laptop. He took a sip of his own as he chanced a few glances at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Thanks." She reached for the glass without taking her eyes from the screen. "Almost finished." She glanced at the handwritten notes beside her. Li leaned into her, reading the screen over her shoulder as she finished up with a few final keystrokes.

"Awesome." He whispered, his breath lightly blowing her hair. The closeness of her sent his mind whirling. "Thanks, Sakura." His eyes slid shut as he turned to her. Sakura smiled as she looked up at him.

"No problem, Syaoran." Her eyes went wide as he softly brushed her lips; the touch was so light that she had a hard time knowing if it was real or not. Before she could figure it out, he had kissed her again; it was a little more certain and a little more firm, but it was just as sweet. To her surprise, she found herself kissing him back.

But he's dating Tomoyo! Her mind screamed, but she couldn't stop herself, not after wanting this for so long.

You shouldn't be doing this. You need to stop! Li's mind warned him but his heart and body weren't listening. The kiss became so deep that he lost himself inside her presence, so much so that he didn't hear the soft shutting of the door as Tomoyo entered the house once again.

"Hey, I left my…" Tomoyo stopped short, her eyes welling with tears and her mouth hanging opened as the vision of her boyfriend and best friend locked in a passionate embrace greeted her. Sakura, hearing her voice, instantly snapped back to reality, but was still reluctant to pull out of Li's hold.

"Tomoyo…" She looked around the young man's head at her friend as she ran from the house. "Tomoyo!" Sakura pulled herself free from a still reeling Li and chased after her friend. Li cursed himself silently for his stupidity as he collected his coat and books.

"Stupid." He muttered to himself. "How could you be so stupid?" He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled an apology to Sakura before he slipped on his shoes and left.

Again the dream haunted him. This time he could see Sakura suspended in mid-air, unconscious as vines of some sort wrapped around her. He could hear soft gasps from her lips as they tightened around her ribcage and neck. He felt trapped as well. He tried to call out to her, to wake her, but he had no voice. He couldn't even scream when the sword plunged through her heart.  
For what seemed like a lifetime, he had woken up in a cold sweat with his heart racing. For the second night in a row, he had decided to do something about it. He found himself once again in the tree outside Sakura's window trying to find a way inside. He had worried that Kero would have locked it, but he was pleased that it had been left open. Instead of letting his mind wonder why he quickly took the opportunity and scurried into the small bedroom. Once inside, he found himself face to face with Kero.  
"You shouldn't have come, Li."

"I had to." Li whispered. "Something's out there and it's after her."

"The only thing that's after her is you, Li."

Li froze, confusion passed into his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sakura told me what happened… that you kissed her."

"So… I kissed her." Li sat on the floor and took off his shoes. "It's no big deal."

"Yes, it is. The cards take too much energy from her without you distracting her."

"Distracting her… Kero… I… I do love her."

"No, you don't. She's powerful. So, you're drawn to her, but that's all."

"No… It's not. It's can't be." Li's eyes grew hard and cold. "It doesn't matter though. I'm still going to protect her." He sat near her bed and took her hand in his. "I'll always protect you." He laid his head against the soft mattress and drifted to sleep. Kero settled into his small bed sighing.

"But who will protect her from you, Li?"

The day had gone more or less normal, except that Tomoyo wasn't talking to either of them. So, Sakura decided to ask Li if he would eat lunch with her, even though she could tell he had other things on his mind and would probably want to be left alone. She was actually a bit surprised when he agreed. Lunch, however, had been rather awkward, with neither of them saying too much about anything, and certainly not talking about what had happened the night before. So lost in thought was she about the day at school that when she entered the house, she didn't notice Kero and Yukito talking in the living room as she passed by on her way upstairs.  
"Sakura," Yukito called out to her, startling her from her thoughts.

"Yukito… what are you…" She trailed off as the guardian transformed in front of her.

"Sakura." Yue intoned deeply. "We need to talk." He gently, but firmly, guided the young woman into the room.

"What do you mean? 'I can't fall in love'?" Sakura jumped out of her seat, staring at the two guardians demanding answers. "Why can't I?"  
"The cards need a strong master, Sakura, one who is completely devoted to them," Yue said coolly as if that explained everything.

"But, I AM strong Yue, and devoted."

"Now, yes, you are." His gray eyes regarded her coolly.

"But what about the future, Sakura, when you DO lose your heart to another?" Keroberos pried. "Will you be as strong and devoted then?"

"The simple fact is that Clow Reed himself could never control the cards once his mind wavered from them. When his heart was divided, the cards grew more and more unruly. So he decreed that he should never fall in love… and neither should his successors. Or else, the cards will be unsealed, scattered again, and would be uncontrollable." Yue stated.

"You know, Kero, I really wish you had mentioned this in the first place…"

"I am sorry Sakura, I wish I had remembered at the time, but only recently, with the way Li has been acting around you…"

"Syaoran? What does he have to do with anything?"

"Sorry… nothing…" Keroberos tried to back peddle.

"Are you talking about the kiss last night?" She was nearly irate. "Look Kero, Yue, I will not get involved with Syaoran, ok? He's my best friend's boyfriend, for crying out loud besides… I'm not even attracted to him." She lied through her teeth to get them off her back. Yue and Keroberos just looked at each other, both with puzzlement and skepticism on their faces. Yue, reverting to Yukito in a flash of light, warned Sakura with a glance. Kero, reverting to his smaller form asked her a simple question.

"Then why do you call him by his first name?" Sakura blushed a bit; she hadn't realized she was. Yukito looked at her with his dark soulful eyes.

"Be careful, Sakura."

That night, Li had spent most of the time trying to get Tomoyo to talk to him. He had to apologize, and he knew it. He knew he was wrong, but there was something about having Sakura that close that made him just stop thinking. He dialed Tomoyo's number again  
Maybe Kero is right.

The line was still busy. He hung up frustrated, flopping back on his bed.

"I didn't mean for it to happen…" he said to the air.

But you have thought about it. He chided himself. Sighing loudly, he dialed the phone again. Tomoyo's line was still busy.

That's what I'll tell her. That part of me is drawn to her power.

Hanging up again, calmly setting the phone on the desk by his bed, he chucked a pillow across the room.

"Yeah… if I ever get in touch with her. If she ever talks to me again." Pulling his knees to his chest, he stared at the phone.

She has every right to be mad. I mean, I did kiss her best friend.

He sighed in resignation and picked up the phone again.

Sakura, in her frustration with Yue and Kero, had run upstairs and called Tomoyo. She had completely forgotten that they weren't speaking. She had been crying on the phone for about twenty minutes when she remembered. Tomoyo had been very quiet on the other end and when she finally did speak, she spoke her mind.  
"Sakura. I'm mad at you, remember? How dare you call me about this? Sakura what are you… what were you thinking?"

"Oh. Tomoyo. I'm sorry, I forgot. I… I don't really know what to say. All I can say is that I'm sorry. I know there is no way I can take it back, but… I really need to talk to someone right now."

"Well, why don't you call Li if you two are so close?" Tomoyo's voice was bitter.

"Tomoyo, you're the only one… Please?"

Tomoyo sighed, still a bit angry. "OK."

"Can I come over?" Sakura asked shyly.

"I guess."

"Thank you so much, Tomoyo."

Since he hadn't been able to reach Tomoyo, Li was pacing around his room, restlessly. He didn't know what to do. It was getting late, he'd noticed, glancing at the clock. He decided to check on Sakura.  
"I really am sorry, Tomoyo." Sakura sat on the floor, her head hanging, wringing her hands in her lap.  
Tomoyo sighed. "It's ok, really Sakura." She looked at her friend. "I'm guessing it wasn't really your fault."

"You're right… he… he kissed me." Sakura blushed slightly as she stumbled over the words. "But it doesn't mean it didn't hurt you."

"No, it doesn't." Tomoyo smiled softly and a bit sadly. "But I can forgive you."

Li climbed up the tree by her window and was quickly inside. Much to his surprise, he found her room empty. He had expected to see her lying asleep in bed, but it looked as if it hadn't been touched since the morning. He sat on the edge with a sigh before stretching out on the small bed. Unknowingly, a small light started glowing from one of the desk drawers.  
"So, you're still mad at Syaoran?" Sakura asked.  
"Yes… but I really shouldn't be." Tomoyo sighed, and then finally let something that's been bothering her go. "You know, Sakura, It just burns me up every time you call him that."

"Huh? Why? It's his name." Sakura looked confused.

"Yes, but even I don't call him by his first name." She paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, it's just… it's been bothering me. That's all."

Softly Sakura responded. "I… Kero wonders the same thing." She looked up at her friend with wide honest eyes. "But until tonight, I hadn't noticed that I was doing it."

The drawer emitting a strange light flew open, startling Li out of his contemplation. Sitting up suddenly, Li found himself face to face with two of Sakura's Cards. Both were glowing a soft blue color and they seemed to dance before his eyes.  
"Mirror and Dark… What are you two doing here?" His next thought was not completed because by saying their names, he had activated the cards. His eyes grew wide as he felt darkness surround him. Then he passed out.

Tomoyo sat listening to Sakura talk about her earlier conversation with Keroberos and Yue, and how they were suspicious of Li's actions.  
"I don't know what to do, Tomoyo To live without the possibility of falling in love?" A frustrated sigh erupted from her as she plopped on the bed next to the darker haired girl. "It makes me wonder… am I the master of the cards? Or are they my master?"

Tomoyo sat quietly for a moment, trying to word her response. What finally came out surprised her as much as it did Sakura.

Li sat up slowly after regaining consciousness. Blinking, he looked around the room.  
"Humph…" Narrowing his eyes, he looked at the two cards lying next to him.

I'll talk to Sakura later. Standing up, he was surprised at how strong he felt as he made his way to the window. Stopping just before he opened it, he turned back to her bed, to the cards lying there. Quickly he picked them up and slipped them into his pocket. He then slipped out of the window as quietly as he came.

"He does love you, you know." Tomoyo said softly. Sakura looked at her with wide eyes. "He always has." She smiled sadly at her friend.  
"Tomoyo." Sakura reached out for her, but she recoiled a bit.

"I… I always knew that he did. That he loved you most. And that he always will." Tomoyo sniffled as she fought back tears. Sakura pulled her into a hug, hoping to comfort her friend.

"And you love him too, Sakura. You know you do. You can't fight it and you can't hide it. Not from me, or from Kero or Yue… I'm guessing not even from your brother. And if what Kero and Yue said is true, you probably can't hide it from the cards."

"Tomoyo, I'm sorry." Sakura held her whimpering friend tightly. "I... I don't know when or how, but… yes. I do love him." Tomoyo's sob wracked body against her brought tears to her own eyes. "But I love you more, Tomoyo."

Tomoyo looked up at her, her eyes were rimmed in red. "Don't lie, Sakura. He is part of you. I know it. You two are connected much more deeply than anyone I've ever seen. I may be your best friend, Sakura, but Li… He owns your heart."

"I… I…" Sakura stammered.

"You know it's true." Tomoyo looked at her, her blue eyes serious.

"I…" A sudden realization struck Sakura. "But Tomoyo. If this is true, what will happen to the cards? What if Kero and Yue are right?" Her face was filled with worry.

:"I don't know." Tomoyo wiped her eyes. "I guess we just wait and see, right?" Her blue eyes flickered with worry.

That night, Li curled up in bed and slept peacefully for the first time since his return to Japan.  
Sakura tossed and turned all night. Her dreams were filled with darkness and evil- malice she could not put a name to. A feeling of dread that she could not identify clung to her as she slept, and remained there as she woke the next morning.  
Sakura was late for school as usual, but it wasn't because she had overslept. In fact, she had gotten very little sleep since she had made up with Tomoyo the Friday before. She couldn't hurry because she was so exhausted, so she just strolled into her seat when she got to school. Fortunately, she did manage to make it to her seat before homeroom started.  
"Sakura? Are you ok?" Tomoyo asked concerned.

"I haven't been sleeping…"

Li strolled into class, his hands loosely in his pockets. His stride was filled with a cockiness that none had seen in him before. He dropped heavily into his seat behind Sakura.

"Good morning." His manner was deceptively pleasant as his voice had a slight edge of darkness to it.

"Ah. Good morning Li." Tomoyo smiled at him. Her smile wilted when she looked into his dark eyes. They were hard and cold, holding none of the life in them that she had grown accustomed to seeing. He smirked at her before leaning forward on his desk to whisper into Sakura's ear.

"Good morning, Sakura." His whisper was a harsh as his breath was warm against her ear. His voice had lost all warmth so that it seemed he was mocking her with his words.

Sakura sat up with a jolt, her eyes wide as she turned to face him, all exhaustion fleeing her. Tomoyo watched with confusion as they looked at each other. She was surprised to see the fear on Sakura's face as her eyes met Li's now steely gaze. She stood up, but never took her eyes from him, until she turned away from him and ran from the room.

"Excuse me…" Sakura said as she nearly collided with the teacher. Tomoyo, a shiver running down her as she glanced at Li's smirking face and cold eyes, followed Sakura to the bathroom. Li leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up in Sakura's seat. The smirk on his lips never faded.

"Tomoyo…" Sakura collapsed into her friend's arms as she nearly fell to the tile floor of the girl's bathroom. "He was so different."  
"I know. He was… cold."

"It's like he was staring right through me." A shiver quaked through her body. "Like he was undressing me."

Tomoyo hugged Sakura tightly. She had never seen her so frightened. She faced Yue and Eriol better than she's facing this.

"He was all dark… It's like he was Syaoran, but he wasn't…" Sakura continued.

"And he hardly noticed I was there."

"I don't know if I can make it through the day with him looking at me like that." Tears started to trail down her cheeks.

"Just… Just try to ignore him, Sakura. We've got that math test today, right? You need to worry about that first. And then we can worry about what's wrong with Li." Tomoyo tried to take her mind off of him. She smiled comfortingly, reassuring her that everything will be ok. Sakura wiped her eyes and stood up nodding.

"Right. I'll just… I'll just ignore him."

Tomoyo sighed.

After the math test, during lunch, Sakura and Tomoyo sat together quietly discussing recent events.  
"Two of the cards are missing," Sakura whispered. "I wonder if this is related to…" her voice trailed off as she felt him enter the room. She looked over at the door, not hearing Tomoyo's question about which cards were missing. When she saw him, filled with a confidence she had never seen in him before, her heart started pounding in her chest. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. When he swaggered toward her and Tomoyo, she quickly looked away, a heavy blush on her cheeks. Li slithered up to the table, spun around an empty chair and straddled it, resting his arms on its back. He reached over and picked up a tempura shrimp from Sakura's lunch and popped in into his mouth. His eyes never left her. They traveled over her profile and down her neck, resting on the blushed skin peeking out of her uniform top. Sakura just looked away, her eyes remained glued to the floor. Tomoyo looked from one to the other, fidgeting in her seat in the uncomfortable silence.

"Sakura…" Li's voice was low and commanding. "I need to talk to you." He stood up. "Now." Turning his back on the girls, he slowly walked towards the door. Sakura, her head released from its position, looked from his retreating back to Tomoyo.

"Go, Sakura. Maybe you'll be able to figure out what's going on." Tomoyo encouraged her. Sakura nodded and followed Li out of the room, running to catch up with him. Tomoyo pulled her cell phone out of her bag and called Kero at Sakura's house.

"Um… so, Syaoran. What did you want to talk about?" She tried to make conversation as she followed him to God-knows-where. She was met with silence, so she decided to try again. "So… where are we going?"  
"Somewhere private… so we can… talk." His answer was cold and calculated. There was none of the slight nervousness to his voice that she had grown so used to these past few months since he had returned. He led her behind one of the buildings and then he was on her. With her back against the wall, she had no defense against his desperate kiss.

Stop Syaoran! Her mind cried out, but part of her deep down met his fierceness with her own. When he pulled away from her, he looked deep into her eyes. His brown eyes seemed haunted, scared like he couldn't control himself. Sakura met his frightened eyes with a stern gaze.

"What do you think you are doing?" She yelled as she pushed him away from her.

"Sakura…" his voice was filled with fear, his eyes pleading as he lost consciousness. His voice lingered in her mind as she watched him collapse to the ground, shock stained on her face.

"Syaoran!" She knelt down next to him, his last words echoing through her head.

Sakura… help me. She sat there, shaking him, holding him, and trying to get him to wake up.

"Syaoran!"

Sakura! The scream echoed in her mind, stunning her for a moment. Just then Li opened his eyes. He roughly pushed her away from him, his eyes locking onto her. He lunged toward her, only to have his way blocked by Keroberos. As his cold eyes met the golden eyes of the Beast of the Seal, he shrank away.  
"Don't think this is over Sakura." He backed away from the prone frightened girl as Tomoyo knelt beside her and Keroberos stood guard.

"You will be mine… you were meant for me and I will have you. Even if I have to kill you." He disappeared as Keroberos lunged toward him.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Tomoyo asked as she helped to support her friend.

"I… I'm alright." She looked toward the spot Li had been standing. "But Syaoran is not…"

"What happened, Sakura?" Keroberos asked. As Sakura began describing the events, she and Tomoyo agreed that it would be best to skip the afternoon's classes.

That afternoon, Sakura was pacing the living room anxiously, when there was a knock on the door. As she ran to answer it, she found that the visitors had let themselves in.  
"Brother!" She looked at her brother angrily, not having expected him to come with Yukito.

"You thought you could keep me out of this, Monster?" he smirked as he gave her a little push.

"Toya…" Yukito scolded him. "She's had a rough day."

"But every day's rough… when you're a monster." Sakura's older brother smiled proudly at her as Yukito transformed into Yue.

"I assume Keroberos is..."

"I am here, Yue." Keroberos called from the door of the living room.

"Here we go again." Toya sighed as he followed them into the living room.

"I warned you Sakura. I told you to be careful." Yue chided her.  
"This is not my fault, Yue. Something's happened to him. I just haven't figured out what." Sakura sighed as she collapsed onto the couch.

"You don't have any ideas, do you?"

She looked up at her dark guardian with hopeful eyes.

"I never liked that guy… there was always something about him…" Toya muttered.

"You're not helping." Sakura glared at him.

"Think I'm going to make some tea." Toya stood and headed for the kitchen.

"Sakura, don't be so hard on Toya, I've been giving him a hard enough time as it is." Yue sighed. "As for Li. I'm at a loss. I…" Yue doubled over in pain, his eyes wide. "Agh!"

"Yue!" Keroberos cried.

"Yue!" Sakura screamed as he nearly fell. Toya ran out of the kitchen just in time to see him revert to his human form.

"Yuki!"

Yukito sat on the couch breathless.

"I'm alright. It's just like… the power was ripped out of me. It… I can't hear Yue anymore…"

Sakura looked at Keroberos and then to Yukito, worry coloring her face.

"Sakura, Tomoyo told me that you were missing some of the cards…" Keroberos primed. Sakura nodded.

"Which ones are you missing, Sakura?" Yukito asked as he fought to catch his breath. Toya sat next to his friend, his face stern and worried.

"Um… Mirror and Dark." She answered.

"Well, that explains Yue's… disappearance." Keroberos said before her revered to Kero. "Since Yue is ruled by the darkness, when you lost the card, you may have lost your contact with him."

"But, Kero, I lost contact with him too." Yukito stated.

"So what's going on?" Sakura asked. She was answered by silence and then the teakettle whistled.

Yue opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. Out of the darkness, he saw a pair of brown eyes appear followed by a face, a familiar face that was now foreign and distant.  
"You!" His eyes grew wide as the sword was raised against him, striking him down.

"You will not keep her from me, Yue. You will not." Darkness, now his to command, ensnared the fallen guardian, trapping him. "Sakura will be mine… as she was meant to be."

"Even against her wishes, Li?" Yue managed to get out before being completely engulfed by the darkness.

"If that's what it takes… yes." Li resigned himself to the dark path set before him.

Li lay in his bed, contemplating the day's events and the path he has chosen. Picking up the cards he had taken from Sakura's room, he wondered.  
Can I do this? Even against her will?

The cards seemed to whisper back to him. His mind echoed.

The cards need a strong master…

"But what makes a strong master?" he asked aloud. Sighing, he put the cards away and went to bed.

Sakura sat in bed, thumbing through the cards, Kero sat next to her, sighing in frustration.  
"The Mirror and the Dark cards. They're the only ones missing." The Hope card lingered in her hand. "Syaoran." She sighed. Kero grunted in annoyance. Sakura shook the feeling of dread surrounding her away.

"Sorry… so, if we find out what happened to these cards, we might be able to get Yue back."

"That's the idea." Kero lay back on her pillow.

"But how do we do that?" She flipped through the cards again. "It's got to be here, Kero… And we still don't' know what's wrong with Syaoran." She sighed as she once again found the Hope card in her hand. "Or if this is all connected in some way."

Kero snored and then started talking in his sleep.

"Light and dark are always together…"

Sakura yawned. She stuck the cards under her pillow and tried to go to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Sakura woke up with an idea.  
"Kero… I." She looked at the sleeping guardian beast. "Kero!" Kero woke with a start.

"Huh?"

"I think I know of a way to find the Dark card." Sakura spoke at a rapid pace.

"Huh?" Kero asked, still half asleep.

"Oh and… if the Dark and the Mirror are used together, what would happen?"

"Um… I'm not really sure. Clow Reed never did it." Kero said lazily, but coherently. "What about finding the Dark card?"

"We can use the Light card…" she pulled the card from the deck under her pillow. "They're always together, right? And the Light card feels… different somehow, since the Dark went missing."

"Can't we do it in the morning, Sakura?" Kero turned over to go back to sleep. Sakura looked at the Light card, a small hopeful smile turned up her lips.

"You'll help us find Yue, right?" She set the card on the shelf behind her bed. "Now… if only you could help me figure out what's wrong with Syaoran." She lay down and fell back to sleep.

Even in her dreams, his voice echoed through her mind.  
"Sakura… help me." His tone was so pitiful, so scared. She had never seen him like that before.

"Syaoran." She whispered in her sleep as the monsters in her dreams returned.

Sakura woke early the next morning, well before sunrise. She lay in bed flipping through the cards again.  
What do the Mirror and Dark cards have to do with each other?

She sighed as she picked up the light card from her shelf.

"Light and Dark are always together…" She stared at the card. "Always together… because they're opposites." Her eyes grew wide as the realization hit. "Light and Dark are always together… in all things, even people. They must balance each other."

Sighing heavily she flopped back against the bed.

"Syaoran's got the Dark card." She got up and hurriedly dressed.

"Why didn't I see it before? That's not Syaoran… he would never…" A shiver ran through her at the memory. She glanced at Kero with a fleeting thought about waking him. Thinking better of it, she climbed out of her window. Using the fastest means at her disposal, the Fly card, she was over Li's apartment in no time. Unfortunately for Sakura, the Dark power emitted from Li caused Fly to rebel, reverting to a card and sending Sakura tumbling from the sky. Using the Float card at the last second, she was able to keep from becoming a greasy spot on the street. Silently, she crept into his apartment.

Sakura's approaching presence had awakened Li. He sat, waiting, fondling the stolen cards. With his back to the door, he smiled a wicked smile as he sensed her come into the room.  
"I was wondering how long it'd take you to figure out." His voice was cold and biting. He turned and gave her a smile with no warmth behind it.

"Give them back to me, Syaoran." Her voice was stern. She would not leave without the cards.

Hopefully, I'll get Yue back with them… and Syaoran. She held her staff at the ready as a precaution. Li turned to face her fully.

"No." he replied.

"No." she echoed. "Don't make me take them from you, Syaoran."

"Do you think you can?" He asked, mockingly.

"I'll do what I must." She hadn't noticed until that moment that his sword was lying next to him. It was in his hand before she knew it, and he had charged her. Adrenaline coursing through her blood, she reacted without thought, transforming the staff with the Sword card. Sakura stood her ground. She knew that physically, she was no match for him. She just hoped that she could get through to him before things went too far.

The sound of metal clanging upon metal filled the early morning air of the small apartment.

Oh god, he's strong. She thought briefly as the onslaught continued and she weakened. With a flick of his wrist, she was disarmed; her staff reverted back as it clattered on the floor across the room. Her back against the wall and his blade at her throat, she looked up at him with fear-filled eyes. The hard darkness she saw in his eyes frightened her all the more.

"Syaoran…" She whispered, trying to reach him, instead of his dark reflection.

"Are you begging, Sakura?" He pressed the flat of his blade harder against her throat. His eyes, hungry and excited, bore into her. "Beg some more."

"Give them back to me." Her voice was soft and quiet, but filled with anger.

"Or you'll what? You aren't really in a position to make demands."

He was right and she knew it.

"What do you want from me?"

He gripped her chin with one hand, the blade still at her throat.

"I would think that's obvious… Sakura." He chuckled deep in his throat, mocking her. Her eyes hardened as her knee made contact with his groin. As he recoiled in pain, she dashed across the room and retrieved her staff. Holding it at the ready, her power flared up.

"Give Syaoran back to me!" She screamed.

"NO!" Shouted back the dark reflection of the young man. "Not if you're going to like him better than you like us! Not if he'll make you forget!" The reflection's eyes grew dark, black like the night and Sakura realized as she stared at him, that she was now talking to the card, the Darkness reflected into Li and using his own desire to drive him mad.

"Give him back to me. NOW!" As the Seal appeared beneath her, the wind whipped through the room.

"NO!" the reflection charged her with its sword held high, but Sakura did not back down. She realized what she had to do. She pulled out the Light card. Before she could challenge the Darkness though, it was upon her. The Darkness enveloped her, binding her so she couldn't move. The cold eyes of Li's reflection stared at her.

"You can't have them… You can't have any of them. You aren't strong enough to be the Master. You aren't disciplined enough to protect us… to keep us safe." He lifted his sword preparing to strike as she looked at him with sad eyes.

"Syaoran…" She whispered, her heart breaking as she felt the certainty of her death.

A soft light glowed in the corner of the room and flew toward her at a maddening speed. And she knew. Suddenly, she knew how to save herself and those she cared about that were trapped in this dark world. The Mirror card had activated itself.

"Mirror card, reflect the power of the Light within me." Brightness filled the room and Sakura was released. She stood in front of Li's Dark reflections as a reflection of all that was bright and pure within her. Her shining eyes met the Darkness that had overcome Li.

"We are always together." Her voice was warm and comforting. He placed her hand on his sword, lowering it to the ground.

"Only with each other can we be whole." She looked deeply into his shadowy eyes.

"Only together can we be balanced…" She reached up to his face. Her eyes were still locked with his, and her hand stroked his cheek. She drew his lips toward her and kissed him lightly.

"I love you, Syaoran…" She whispered as the light faded from her.

A tiny sigh escaped him as he felt her lips against his.

"I love you, Sakura." His voice was soft and warm as the Dark flew from him, hand and hand with the Light. The air around them seemed to shimmer as they kissed each other again, filled with a complete love for the other, with Dark and Light balanced in each. Neither of them noticed the card lying at their feet. On it was a man and woman in an embrace surrounded by ribbons of light and dark, and it read "Love" at the bottom.

Epilogue  
"So… Li, are you going home to Hong Kong for the holiday?" Tomoyo asked as they left school the last afternoon before the winter holiday.

"Well. Not exactly." Li nervously scratched his head. He guessed that they would find out sooner or later. "Mother and my sisters are coming here." He was a bit embarrassed to tell them, as he suspected his mother's purpose for the trip was to meet Sakura's father.

"Really? Syaoran! Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Sakura fake-punched him in the arm.

"When is she coming in, Li?" Tomoyo smiled up at him, their friendship renewed as they both realized that their destinies would take them elsewhere.

"Um… They should be here this afternoon." His eyes grew wide. "They may already be here!" he realized. "Come on!" He took Sakura's hand and pulled her behind him as he took off. Sakura grabbed Tomoyo's hand so she didn't get left behind. Sakura looked at the back of his head confused as she realized that they were heading to her house.

Stopping in front of the Kinomoto residence, Li fought to catch his breath. The two girls collapsed to the sidewalk, winded and panting.

"Li. What are we…?" Tomoyo started through labored breaths.

"Good, it doesn't look like she's here." Li looked around, his eyes lingering on the front door. "Sakura can you go inside and check?" Li looked down at his love with wide and somewhat frightened eyes. Sakura looked up at him, confusion on her face.

"Why would she…?" Her question was cut short as the stately woman appeared on the front porch. Li's back went rigid.

"Syaoran, Sakura. Please come inside." She spoke softly, with authority, yet her voice carried through the open sky to them. Sakura stood and went inside the house. Li and Tomoyo followed her. Inside, the sight of Toya and Yukito being pawed by Li's four older sisters, an experience they didn't seem to mind, greeted them. Li rolled his eyes at the spectacle. They were led into the kitchen, where Sakura's father was seated at the table and tea service for four was spread across the wooden surface. Her father smiled at Sakura as Li's mother gracefully took her seat opposite Sakura's father. She stated her purpose outright. "I have come to discuss your engagement to Syaoran with your father, Sakura." Li's eyes blazed, Sakura fainted and Tomoyo giggled.


End file.
